Why the 2018 EMAs are must-watch for music fans

Steinfeld has had a fascinating career since starring in the Coen Brothers remake of “True Grit” as a kid. In addition to her acting career, Steinfeld has a side gig as a pop artist. Her first single, "Love Myself," made some noise in 2015, and she will surely bring all her skills to the table in the hosting role. Plus, MTV says it's a big fan of Hailee. Perhaps this will even be a sign of more music to come.

Every year, the EMAs give out a Global Icon award. This time around, Janet Jackson is getting the honor. Given the tremendous career she’s had, a career that spans decades, she is certainly deserving of the “Global Icon” moniker. The progeny of the Jackson family has 10 No. 1 hits to her name and has sold over 100 million albums in her career. 

Several great artists have been given the Global Icon honor in the past. Paul McCartney won the first one, and since then big names such as Queen, Green Day and U2, among others, have received the award. Jackson is in good company.

Jackson isn’t just going to accept an award, give a speech and go home. She also will be performing a medley of her hits. Want to know what songs she will do? Tune in to find out, because for now they are a mystery. Given her collection of hits, though, no matter what, it should be a great performance. Plus, despite now being 52, Jackson's live performances are still high energy, and she remains an engaging dancer.

The EMAs move all around Europe, but this year they are going down in Basque Country. The Bizkaia Arena will be playing host to the show, a venue that is largely unknown in the United States. Why not take a look at a new part of the world?

In the lead-up to the award show, MTV hosts several concerts in the area to help get people excited. This year’s series of shows culminates Nov, 3 with one that is headlined by Muse and Crystal Fighters.

The EMAs are quite performance-heavy, and this year is no different. Several musical acts will be taking the stage during the show, including Nicki Minaj, Panic! at the Disco and Halsey. No matter what kind of music you like, there should be a performer right up your alley if you like pop music.

The EMAs have a lot of regional awards as part of the event. We’re talking categories such as Best UK Act, Best Danish Act and Best German Act. How continental of them! MTV clearly wants to represent Europe at large.

Grande is one of the most popular musicians in the world, and earlier this year she dropped a new album, "Sweetener." However, in recent months, her music has been overshadowed by her whirlwind romance with "Saturday Night Live" performer Pete Davidson. The two recently called off their engagement, which adds an extra layer of intrigue to all of Grande's performances. Surely some curious folks will want to tune in to see Grande in the post-breakup wake, even if it's just to know she will be fine going forward.

You read that right. Minaj is one of the most popular musicians in the world, so her presence makes any event that much more exciting. It is reported that she will be doing a few songs, including “Majesty” and “Barbie Dreams.” The fact that Minaj is willing to go all out for the EMAs should let you know just how serious this award show is. It may be European, but it's on par with the VMAs in many ways.

This year, the show is giving out an award called “Generation Change” for the first time. Several young people who are making an impact in the world are nominated for the award, including Ellen Jones, Mohamad Al Jounde and Sonita Alizadeh. These are names to keep in mind for the future. You can say you knew them when.

Though these are the European Music Awards, there are several other regions that get their own categories. There’s Best African Act, Best Indian Act, Best Korean Act and many more. So yes, K-Pop will be represented. The EMAs aren’t stupid; BTS is if N*SYNC and the Backstreet Boys were merged together with the Beatles. Yes, they're that big. 

Cabello is the most nominated artist for 2018, as she has six nominations to her name. She’s followed by Ariana Grande and Post Malone, who both have five. If you love Cabello and want her to bring home some hardware, the odds are in your favor.

The EMAs don’t have male or female artist categories, mixing everybody together. On top of that, there are a great deal of women and minorities nominated, and that’s before you even get into the regional awards. This is an award show that will never get an equivalent of the “#OscarsSoWhite” hashtag.

You know who else is scheduled to appear? Lindsay Lohan. Yes, you read that right. While nobody is rooting for Lohan to go off the deep end, anytime she is scheduled to do anything, it’s fascinating. You never know how it will go.

The EMAs tend to be hosted at huge venues, and this year is no different. The Bizkaia Arena is the largest multipurpose hall in Spain, and it can hold up to 26,000 people. In this case, that could mean 26,000 passionate music fans. The people who show up at the EMAs have a reputation for being quite raucous and excited, which always makes an award show more fun.

Want further proof? There’s an award called “Biggest Fans.” Taylor Swift is up for it, and yet there is no Kanye West in sight. Fingers crossed.

Hey, somebody has to hand out all the awards, right? People such as Michael Pena, Diego Luna and Ashlee Simpson are all scheduled to appear. Who doesn’t like to see Michael Pena? He almost stole "Ant-Man" from Paul Rudd, and everybody loves Paul Rudd!

While it may seem like a conflict of interest, Steinfeld is up for Best Pop Artist. It’s stiff competition, but it would be a huge night for her if she gets to host, perform and win.

Once Miley Cyrus lit up a joint. Rick Astley performed “Never Gonna Give You Up” in a live Rickroll. Controversy is not foreign to the EMAs. Anything could go down. You have to watch if you want to find out.